What's Your Favorite Site In Barcelona?
 

We're going to Barcelona in May. I'd love to know what your favorite was....

Thanks!

Kelli:

Anything "Gaudi-esque"...Parc Guell, the buildings along Passeig Gracia. Also, the main market..La Boqueria. The Picasso Museum, The Miro Gallery atop Mount Juic, and of course Sagrada Familia..the unfinished cathedral.
Stu T.

Thank you. We will be there for two weeks so I'd like to see as much as we can. I'm very excited!

For me it is the "Sagrada Familia" cathedral first. Also the Picasso museum, the marina and hanging out on the "Rambla".

Larry J

Did either of you stay a hotel or at an apartment while you there????

We were there last May, and while I agree Parc Guell was, and will always be a favorite, walking thru the Bari Gotic with so very talented street musicians playing for the crowds, and the beautiful old buildings and their history, is what I yearn to return to. I don't know if it was the acoustics of the narrow streets, or the loveliness of the day, but I felt so lucky to be me, in this magical place. BTW, don't bother with the inside of Sagrada Familia. What a waste of time, just a pile of lumber lying around!

I agree about Sagrada Familia inside...best view is frm across the road in the little park..superb.

Stu T.

Parc Guell. Don't miss it!

That's absolutely not true about the Sagrada Familia -- we spent literally *hours* walking around inside and going up different towers on the narrow stairways. (not a good idea if you're claustrophobic or can't do lots of stairs). But there were outdoor bridges we walked out on and we could continually see a different angle or dimension of the architecture as we walked, tons of photo ops, we loved it. In fact one person in our group went back the next day and paid again because she felt like she didn't get enough time looking at the "new side" of the cathedral.

The Boqueria is wonderful, don't miss the little (and very famous) Pinotxo bar in the morning and/or afternoon -- exquisite food.

Walking around Bari Gotic on a sunny day was one of the most beautiful experiences I've had in Europe. I had so much fun in the espadrille shop, La Manual Alpargatera, and I didn't think I even liked espadrilles. They were very inexpensive and I always get compliments and questions when I wear them.

We stayed in a well-located 3 br/2 ba apartment (there were only 2 couples but we wanted two bathrooms) that we found on vrbo.com. It was 130/night.

My husband and I were in Barcelona for our honeymoon this past September. We rented an apartment for 90 euros a night. Here's the site http://www.apartmentsbcn.net and we stayed at the Sicilia 2. It was really clean and they were super helpful to us. Hope that helps!

I spent about five hours in the Sagrada Famila and only saw about half of it. Chacun a son gout...
Parc Guell on a sunny day. Las Ramblas by day or night, if you can live with the caged (and often drugged) birds and animals some people use to get money out of tourists. A DIY supper in Placa de Catalunya listening to the buskers (temperature of 21C at 11 pm in October!) The marina. Camp Nou if you know anything about football or even if you don't. Window shopping on Passeig de Gracia and Diagonal. The Olympic Stadium, but don't go within 50 yards of the WCs. Day trip by public transport to the top of Montserrat. Watching kingfishers in Parc de la Ciutadella.
Did I mention that I quite like Barcelona?
Something we didn't know about before we went is the number of "gotcha" buildings with pictures painted on the gable ends so you don't know it's a blank wall unless you're standing close.
We only booked the first three nights of a two week stay. Most nights you'll find somewhere even if you turn up at the tourist office on Plaza de Catalunya the same morning - the tour companies block book then cancel any rooms they haven't sold. Friday nights can be difficult as there's an overlap between the weekday business people and the weekend tourists. We stayed in Hotel Antibes on Diputacio, basic but clean and within a short walk of Sagrada Famila. Then Hotel Gran Via, feels like it was a seriously classy joint in the past and still OK. Our last three nights the only place we could get was a very posh hotel on Pelai, I think it was the Atlantis. We would have worried if it had been the start of our holiday but as accommodation and eating out had been so cheap until then, we knew we had cash to spare.
I'm insanely jealous but have a great time anyway.

Our favorite was the train trip to Monserrat-beautiful setting and the boys choir performance (supposedly the oldest choir in continuous existence) was wonderful, if short. Sagrada Familia was interesting, but I can't imagine spending hours there. The Block of Discord was interesting to see, too, as was the Picasso museum. Lots of wonderful architecture, including modern. The city history museum, underground, required quite a bit of imagination to reach the conclusions stated, but it was neat. I liked the Maritime Museum, but my kids were bored. They enjoyed the aquarium.

We stayed at the Royal Hotel, right on the Ramblas-fun street scene with lots of activity. I highly recommend staying on Las Ramblas-there may be better places to stay, though ours was nice, if small. The windows opened to the street below, which was enjoyable.

I'd probably have a lot of trouble picking just one, but offhand I'd sy it would be between Parc Guell and Casa Mila (La Pedredra), especially the roof--and I have vetigo! :D

When I first read the question it was Parc Guell for my favorite in the city. Monserrat is the favorite of the area. But after being reminded of all the wonderful places in Barcelona. It would depend upon my mood. It's all good.

Watching (and participating) in the Sardana Sunday at 12 pm in front of the Cathedral, visiting the underground Roman ruins, Parc Guell, Sagrada Famalia, and drinking cava - in the OJ at breakfast, with lunch, for aperitif, with dinner, after dinner .....

And buying Lladros.

"The closing of the Falaise gap was a major victory."

The Poles were heroes, and the German forces in Normandy came near annihilation in that battle. Afterward, the allies used bulldozers to clear the roads of dead. War is hell, and it's right to remember.

Sorry for that post in the wrong string. Maybe a kind monitor will delete.

Don't miss the Palau de la Música Catalana and try very hard to attend a concert there. The inside is fantastic. We also saw a wonderful Kandinsky exhibit in a space right next to Casa Mila, so see if something interesting is going on there.

I loved so much about Barcelona, but the Palau de Musica and the Sardana stand out in my mind, as does walking back from the Sardana (at the Placa de Sant Jaume) and hearing all the steet performers. Just wonderful!

But watch your purse!

Wow. So many great suggestions. I'm making a note of each one!!! I don't know if I can wait until May! Thank you for the fabulous suggestions.

I agree that the places mentioned here are all very nice (I did enjoy climbing around the Sagrada Familia, but I think that the better views are from the exterior, but it's all a matter of taste). But I thought I'd add a couple of museums that I really liked. The National Museum of Catalonian Art (MNAC) is a collection of medieval religious art, taken from small towns all over Catalunya. There are frescoes, treasures, statues, all beautifully displayed. If you like romanesque art, there is no better place to be, and it's beautifully displayed (located in Montjuic). My second museum suggestion is the maritime museum, located in a gothic shipyard, I believe. It's a beautiful building, with a great Botero statue outside, and my children (aged 12 and 9)loved it. There's even an opportunity to row a gelley ship. It's located off the Ramblas, on the right side walking towards the water. Both are great places to visit, IMO.

pippy-- more details on the apartment please! Location, lighting, immediate neighborhood -- Pros and Cons?

Don't know if you've already seen this but you should definitely go download (for free) Maribelsguides.com on Barcelona. It's like having your own travel guide, she's great. And try to find posts by laclaire on BCN -- another great resident expert.

bailey, those are amazing.

Bookmarking. Now that the holidays are over, I really need to start planning for that March trip (flights and apartment have been booked, but now must work on sightseeing schedule.) I made myself watch parts of that Cheetah Girls movie to see the Barcelona sights.

I got back yesterday from a home exchange to Barcelona. I particularly liked the Barri Gotic and the mediaeval altarpiece in the old Royal Chapel which is part of the City History Museum; and Casa Batllo, which I was lucky to enough to arrive at before the queues to get in built up.

Parc Guell was just too crowded for me. The weather was beautifully spring-like, the crowds were out in force, with for the whole 1500m or so from the metro station, all the way into the park and up and down the main steps by the main entrance. It was less like the Spanish Steps and similar sorts of places once you went up the hill into the trees, but I found the general crush a bit oppressive. The same goes for the Bocqueria, impressive though some of the stalls are.

Montjuic is a day's visit on its own: just at the moment the cablecars are being renovated, but presumably that will all be ready by May.

Sorry, a garbled sentence there. Parc Guell - "the crowds were out in force, with *a continuous procession* for the whole 1500m....".

the cable car over the harbour

One of my favorite things was The Magic Fountain of Montjuic. Mind you this was 30 yrs ago as a college student...but I still think I would like it.
Can't miss the Sagrada Family cathedral as mentioned by others. I spent quite some time on the inside. The story is pretty amazing...Gaudi died and no one has been able to finish the structure as designed. I enjoyed climbing to the top of one of the towers...got some great photos of the city from that vantage point.
Park Guell is also extremely unique. Beautiful mosaics.
Ramblas is a must if only just for people watching.

Do not miss the magic fountain! Barcelona was wonderful but I just didn't expect something like the fountain. Get there early and get a good seat because there is first a light show and then a light show with classical music in synch with the lights. Be sure to find out what nights and what time the show is so that you get the full effect.

Baldworth

WOW Bailey, did you do the tour? Could you tell us about it? Thanks. Wonderful pixs.

Pippy,

Can you tell me more about the Sicilia apartment? We're planning a family trip in June and are considering Sicilia 4. How did you find the location? It looks a bit further out than we would prefer, but the space is perfect for us. Were you happy with apartmentsbcn?

Thanks!

Where is the "magic fountain"?

Montjuic...a mountain overlooking Barcelona...it was the location of the Summer Olympics in 1992.

Can you get tickets for Casa Batllo in advance? Last time we were there the line was just too long and we didn't get to go, but I don't want to miss it this time!

I liked Placa Espana because I remember it being the first backdrop in Whit Stillman's "Barcelona."

Then I hiked up to Montjuic.